John Cook, LTRI, London Metropolitan University Norbert Pachler, Institute of Education, University of London SoMobNet International Roundtable on “Social Mobile Networking for Informal Learning” Institute of Education, Nov 21 2011: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2363

1. Online People Tagging:
Social Mobile Networking
Services in Work-based
Learning
– John Cook, LTRI, London Metropolitan University
– Norbert Pachler, Institute of Education, University of
London
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2. #somobnet #matureip #lmlg
– SoMobNet International Roundtable on “Social Mobile
Networking for Informal Learning” Institute of Education,
Nov 21 2011:
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2363
– To comment on this presentation:
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/5968
– Acknowledgement: slide template draws on that from talk by
Karen Cator at ALT-C 2011 http://bit.ly/qUQrs5 the content
is our own ...

3. Structure
Key issues from the literature on social (mobile)
networking services
Towards a typology of informal workplace learning
Online people tagging in work-based contexts

4. Definition of Social Networking Services
“web-based services that allow individuals to
1. construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system
2. articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and
3. view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others
within the system”
boyd and Ellison, 2008
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5. Key issues from the literature on social (mobile) networking services
Bridging social capital (Putnam, 2001), which is the creation of social networks
between socially heterogeneous groups
Collaborative scaffolding literature (Pata, Sarapuu, & Archee, 2005; Yeh, Lo, &
Huang, 2011)
Pertaining to the notion that the “concept of a social network reduces the
social human actor to a point – not even a point of view – but a point that
connects in various ways to other points” (Merchant, 2011)
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6. Key issues from the literature on social (mobile) networking services
Establishing a group-wide medium creates latent ties from which
weak ties may build; a change of medium recasts weak ties (Haythornthwaite
et al 2007)
Not everyone has relevant experience, but modelling of learning can take
place (self-efficacy, Bandura, 1982)
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7. Key issues from the literature on social (mobile) networking services
relationship initiation vs maintenance (boyd and Ellison, 2008)
nature of the relationships formed and maintained and how they relate to
activity and action in other contexts (Merchant, 2011)
notion of „technologised socialbility‟: conflation of everyday human
experience with mediated communication (Merchant, 2011)
„identity play‟: iterative relationship of identity work done online with offline
identity (Merchant, 2011); „personal augmentation‟ (Facer, 2011)
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8. Key issues from the literature on social (mobile) networking services
paradigms for online communities: person-centric (hub-and-spoke), topic-
centric, bounded community (White, 2006)
Passionate affinity space (Gee, 2011)
Notion of cultural resources (Pachler, et al., 2010)
Appropriation (Pachler, et al., 2010)
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9. ALPS
Mobility embedded in practice Social tools amplifying learning
Digital Content with bridges MATURE – Facebook for workplace
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10. Towards a typology of informal workplace learning
Learning in workplace viewed as response to complex problem or task
Embedded in meaningful and authentic cultural contexts (4Cs)
• Collaboration in group activities
• Working alongside colleagues
• Tackling challenging tasks
• Working with clients
Eraut provides empirical work on f-2-f
Factors affecting learning in the workplace (Eraut, 2004)
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11. Towards a typology of informal workplace learning
Key questions
How can we scale up meaningful learning activities of
• individuals and groups so they become linked together
• building confidence, commitment, performance & progress?
Amplified by SNSs and mobile technologies?
Mediated by scaffolding and bridging activities?
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13. Online people tagging in work-based contexts
MATURE EC Framework 7 project: http://mature-ip.eu/
• Social network tools amplifying learning in the workplace
• Seen by EC as „flagship TEL project'
• And by users at Career Guidance Services UK as „Facebook for the workplace‟
• Challenge repurposing cultural contexts: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/5806
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14. Collaborative tagging
• gather information
about people
• inside and outside
organization
Tag each other
• according to topics
they associate with
that person
“Who knows what?”
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15. Applying MATURE case to the typology
Aims:
Test of typology as analysis tool when applied to a case.
Does it reveal anything missing?
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16. Thank you!
John Cook
john.cook@londonmet.ac.uk
@johnnigelcook
Norbert Pachler
n.pachler@ioe.ac.uk
@servusuk
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